Goodbye, old money and clean girl manicures: 2026 nail trends are ready to shine with delicate highlights. Nail experts won't lie: in the first months of 2026, rhinestone nails have rapidly gained popularity. Let's remember the design that Olivia Deen chose for the Grammy ceremony last week, or the variations that fashion influencers and celebrities like Loreto Peralta wear in their everyday lives. And while this design is truly dazzling, it's hard to call it a surprise.
What will be the trendy nail designs with stones in 2026 – expert opinion
We spoke to manicurist Mateja Novakovic, who is convinced that trends are making a 180-degree turn. “I think they are becoming more popular because fashion in general is becoming more expressive and playful, while the clean girl and old money aesthetics are gradually becoming a thing of the past,” she notes. Fashion is cyclical, and everything that was popular before, in one way or another, returns. This trend seems quite natural. Moreover, the spring-summer 2026 catwalks have already hinted at this: Dilara Findikoglu had nails with chains, Ashley Williams – with bright patterns, and Chopova Lowena relied on designs with shiny textures. So it is natural that manicure is moving away from restrained classic solutions in favor of options that you definitely can't call boring.
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How to Repeat the Trendy Pebble Manicure in 2026
While it may seem like this design is only possible in a salon or with the help of a professional, it's actually much easier. All you need is a base coat, colored polish, top coat, decorative stones, and a gel lamp.
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“If you want a minimalist option, the nail should be perfectly prepared and well-groomed: with a transparent, translucent or any other favorite shade. A chaotic placement of stones is very effective: one near the cuticle, the other at the tip of the nail, or a composition of two or three stones on one finger. The main thing is to fix them well by encapsulating them in a drop of gel or varnish, and then apply one or two layers of top coat – because you want these stones to last as long as possible,” advises Novakovic.
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The most popular option at the moment is a combination of a translucent pink shade with rhinestones, but as with any manicure, you can experiment with the palette. Pay attention to the current colors of the season and try to create your own, unique interpretation of the trend. On her Instagram page, Novakovic offers an emerald green option for the most daring, but a rich red or white with pink crystals will also be a win-win choice on the eve of Valentine's Day.
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Based on material from: Vogue.mx